FOTP 2013 Full Report

would extend the right of access to foreigners, require officials to provide or refuse informationwithin 15 days, and grant the requester the right to appeal refusals. The amendments alsostipulate that the president of the press association will become a member of the Council ofInformation, currently staffed by government officials. According to the Amman-based Centerfor Defending Freedom of Journalists, implementation of the current law suffers from arbitraryclassification and distribution of information by the different ministries and state institutions.Journalists complain that while the outlets for news have increased, they are often blocked fromobtaining information on government policies and officials. The amendments had not passed byyear’s end.Print outlets must obtain licenses to operate, and journalists must belong to the JordanPress Association (JPA) to work legally. Those who are critical of the government havesometimes been excluded from JPA membership, and the organization does not admit journalistswho work for internet-based news outlets, leaving them with limited legal protections. Licensingresponsibilities for television and radio are shared between the Council of Ministers, the AudioVisual Commission (AVC), and the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC). TheCouncil of Ministers is responsible for granting, revoking, and renewing licenses, but does sobased on the recommendations of the AVC. The AVC also handles disputes betweenbroadcasters, issues directions on programming, and takes punitive action against broadcasterswho violate their licensing conditions. The TRC is responsible for allocating frequencies tobroadcasters, issuing telecommunications licenses, and managing information technologyservices.The government tolerates some level of criticism of officials and policies, and allowssome room for Islamist movements and other elements of the opposition to express their ideas.However, government attempts to influence editorial content occur regularly, with top officialsand security operatives contacting editors and warning them not to publish stories on politicallysensitive issues. Journalists routinely practice self-censorship and know which “red lines” not tocross, including that pertaining to negative reporting about the royal family.Journalists faced harassment, intimidation, and violence in 2012. In January, reporterswere assaulted while covering a protest in downtown Amman. In February, a masked assailantstabbed blogger Enass Musallam after she published criticism of recent remarks by PrinceHassan, the uncle of King Abdullah II. The assailant reportedly said his actions were “in thename of his royal majesty and the prince.” After she was released from the hospital, Musallamwas questioned by police for six hours. In April, member of parliament Yahya Saud corneredjournalist Eman Jaradat after she took his picture, then verbally abused her and forcibly deletedphotographs from her mobile telephone. In November, unidentified assailants attacked a crewfrom Sky News as they covered a protest, inflicting injuries and damaging equipment. Journalistsfrequently received verbal threats, in some cases from government officials.While some Jordanian news outlets are independent, the government has a majority stakein Al-Rai, a major daily, and a minority stake in Al-Dustour, a second large national newspaper.Bribery threatens independent reporting, and in 2012 dozens of media professionals wereaccused of accepting payments from the former director of the General Intelligence Department.The 2003 Audio Visual Law ended the government monopoly on terrestrial broadcasting, andthere has been an increase in the number of private radio stations in recent years—mainlyregional outlets that cater to a specific demographic, such as women or students. However,terrestrial television stations remain under state control; the country’s first privately ownedtelevision channel, launched as a pilot project in 2007, has since stalled. Satellite dishes are225